Jerry Glenn Morgan, 30, Brenda Gail Morgan, 25, and Devin Glenn Morgan, 22 months
Facts of the Crime: Convicted and sentenced to death in the April 30, 1984 murders of Jerry Morgan, Brenda Morgan and 22-month-old Devin Morgan.
On the morning of May 1, 1984, the bodies of Jerry Morgan, 30, his wife, Brenda, 25, and their 22-month-old son, Devin, were found in their Gregg County home by family members. Each victim had died from gunshot wounds. Their car had been stolen, along with several items from inside the home, including a television, videocassette recorder, and several guns. The murders remained unsolved for six years. In 1990, Chris Vickery called the Gregg County Sheriff's Office and told them that his former wife, Cynthia Kelly, had information for them. After authorities contacted Cynthia in Michigan, they obtained an indictment charging her ex-husband, Alvin, in the 1984 triple homicide. At trial, Cynthia testified she was with Kelly at the scene of the murders. Kelly's brother Steven and a friend of Kelly also testified that Kelly had bragged about the murders. Steven, testified that he and Alvin were in the business of selling drugs, and the motive for the murders was that they were suspected of coopertating with police.
In the six years between the triple homicide and his trial, Kelly had several felony convictions which resulted in prison time, including burglary and delivery of a controlled substance. In 1990, Kelly pleaded guilty to the murder of his roommate, John Ford, and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. He was serving that sentence when he was charged with capital murder for the Morgan killings. His accomplice in the killings, Ronnie Lee Wilson, was convicted of murder and sentenced to 66 years in prison.
Victims: Jerry Morgan, Brenda Morgan and Devin Morgan
Time of Death: 6:30 pm
Manner of Execution: Lethal Injection
Last Meal: "I'm getting communion. I don't want no worldly food. I filled out the paperwork, and I'm going to have the Lord's Supper for my last meal. I'm fasting from Sunday to Tuesday, so when I go, I'll be purified."
Final Words: "I offer my sorrow, and my heart goes out to y'all," Kelly said in his last statement to the members of the Morgan family who attended his execution. "I know you believe that you're going to have closure tonight. As I stand before God today, the true judge, I had nothing to do with the death of your family." Kelly then asked for forgiveness for Ford's murder "because I do stand guilty for my involvement for that." Kelly also thanked his family, his friends, and God. As the lethal injection was administered, he sang, "Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming into my life. You walked with me through prison. Thank you, Lord Jesus, because you died for me. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for remembering me."
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